


Upon Awakening

by fabrega



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Destroy Ending, F/M, Post-Mass Effect 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-16
Updated: 2013-08-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 16:44:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/928790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabrega/pseuds/fabrega
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard wakes up when she doesn't expect to, again. She really shouldn't make this a habit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Upon Awakening

Shepard opens her eyes. The room is bright, brighter than she's ready for, and she squints through the filmy grime of unconsciousness built up around her eyes that's making it hard to focus. It's easier to just close them again, but she is definitely awake. This is...unexpected.

She really shouldn't make this a habit.

"Am I dead?" she asks aloud, her voice nearly cooperating, creaking with a lack of use. It hurts to talk. Everything hurts--although she has hazy memories of a hurt far greater than this.

A startled laugh, deep and layered, comes from somewhere close by, off to her right. "No," the voice says, "Although that wasn't a sure thing there for a while."

Well, if she's alive, then-- "What about the Reapers?"

"Destroyed, every last one of them. The battle is over. You did it."

"And the Normandy?" 

"Once you triggered the Crucible, it was indiscriminate; the Normandy lost EDI. But it evacuated in time to save the rest of its crew."

She pauses for a moment, gathers her thoughts, steels herself, and asks as easily as she can: "And... and the squad that were part of the last push on the beam with me?"

A chuckle comes in return, so full of barely-restrained joy that she can't dare hope-- "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me."

She forces herself to turn and look, smiling through the pain that screams through her neck and shoulders at what it lets her see. "Garrus!"

He radiates happiness and relief back at her, and she realizes that the consistent pressure she has been feeling but hadn't pinned down somewhere down her right arm has been him, holding tight to her hand.

"I'm glad you're okay," she says, her voice catching.

He shakes his head at her, disbelieving. " _You're_ glad _I'm_ okay?"

She laughs at the absurdity of the statement, winces when she breathes too deep. He stares at her for a moment. "How are you feeling, Shepard?"

"I've...felt better," she replies.

"I think I can help with that," he says, standing up and starting across the room.

She must tense at his implied absence, because he leans down over the bed and gently kisses her forehead. She smiles up at him, a little surprised. "Somebody's been watching his vids for new moves."

"I thought that one up all by myself," he replies teasingly. He touches her hair, tender. "Don't go anywhere." He walks over to a panel by the door and presses a series of buttons on it. She starts to ask what he's doing, but then she feels the pain meds he's obviously just dispensed begin to kick in. 

"Oh, that's nice," she murmurs as he walks back to his chair by the bed. "I can't believe they let you do that."

Garrus clears his throat, shifts uncomfortably in his chair. "Yes, I am definitely allowed to do that, what I did just now."

Shepard raises an eyebrow at him, trying not to smile. As the pain leaves, her sense of humor is starting to return, and she lets the comment pass. "Really, I'm surprised they let you in here at all," she says. "Don't these places usually limit what kind of visitors you can have? Relatives, next of kin, that kind of thing?"

"'Family members only'," he agrees wryly, obviously quoting the hospital's policy. "I told them you don't have any family besides your crew; if they paid any attention to the extranet special about you that is playing _constantly_ , they'd know that."

"And 'my crew is my family' worked?"

"No, but having Admiral Hackett, the turian Primarch, and what's left of the Council intercede on our behalf worked instead. Never thought I'd have friends in that high of places," he says, shaking his head.

"I think I just may have earned a few favors," she says, smiling.

"Besides, we _did_ have a backup plan," he says, lowering his voice conspiratorially.

"We?"

"Oh, you know: me, Liara, Wrex, Jack, Vega--the usual suspects."

"Garrus," she says, amused, "Were you going to storm the hospital?"

"Only a little," he says with a mock-nonchalant shrug. "You fought through a horde of gangs and mercenaries to come get me; surely I can take out a few doctors, nurses, and rogue surgery mechs."

"I know how you feel about fighting through hospitals, Garrus; you must have really wanted to see me."

The doctors come in before Garrus can answer; they must have been alerted when he had meddled with the dispensary interface. They are carrying datapads and a definite weight off their shoulders--the hero of the galaxy has woken up, under their care! The one who's obviously in charge clears his throat. "Commander Shepard! We're glad you're back with us," he says, his tone overly jovial.

She smiles at him uneasily, says nothing. Something about him puts her on edge.

"We have some tests we need to run, and some questions we need to ask you--you were in no shape to answer anything when you were brought in, but now that you're up, you can definitely help us treat you better." There is a strategic pause. "I'm not sure if you want your friend here for that," he plows on, gesturing at Garrus, "or--"

Garrus snorts quietly--she's not sure if the doctor hears him or not--and leans forward in his chair, putting his hand over hers on the bed. She can tell there's a lot to unpack there.

"If you think he'd go quietly, you don't know Garrus Vakarian," she says, biting back a smile. "Besides, why would I tell him to go? Look what happened the last time he left me, in London."

"You almost _died_." Garrus nods, his eyes big and serious.

"I almost died," she agrees, making pointed eye-contact with the head doctor.

"Although--you _did_ go on to save the entire galaxy, so maybe I should go," he teases, standing to leave.

" _Garrus_." She catches his hand, looks up at him, tries and fails to keep the note of panic from her voice. She looks over to the doctor. "I want him to stay," she says, as if it wasn't clear. Then she looks back up at Garrus. "I-- you told me to come back, Garrus. I did, and I just saved the whole damn galaxy, so nobody gets to tell you to go unless you want to."

He sits back down, squeezes her hand. "You know that I'm here for you, for as long as you need me--have been since the day we met. There's no Shepard without Vakarian, right?"

"I wouldn't be here without you, Garrus," she says, and she really, really means it.


End file.
